Key case



Sept- 30, 1958 R. BJERKNES Erm. 2,854,132

KEY CASE Filed Feb. '7. 1955 United States Patent PF .KEY CASE YRam'erfBjerknes and Einar Nygaard, Oslo, Norway Application February '1,1955,?Seal No. 486,627 Claims priority, application Norway February 12,1954 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-37) The present invention relates to a keycarrying and storing device, especially for car keys and the like.

The key case of the invention comprises a at, elongated container, meansfor connecting a wristlet to said container, a drawer adapted to receiveat least one key mounted slideably in said container in the longitudinaldirection thereof, releasable locking means retaining said drawer inpushed in position and spring means operative to automatically move saiddrawer into opened position when said locking means are released.

An embodiment of the invention is as an example illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l shows a perspective view of the device with parts broken away,

Figure 2 is a plan view with the upper half of the container removed,one half of the drawer being shown in opened position and the other halfin closed position, and

Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III of Figure 2.

According to the invention the device comprises a at, elongatedcontainer consisting of an upper and a lower part 1 and 2, which aredetachably secured to each other, the lower part 2 being provided atopposite sides with protrusions 3 to which lugs 4 on the upper part 1are secured by means of screws 5.

The width of the container decreases gradually from approximately themiddle of its length towards the rear end 6 as shown.

The protrusions 3 are provided with spaced lugs 7 between which aresecured pins 8 serving as anchorages for the ends of a wristlet 9 ofsuitable type.

The container forms the housing for a drawer 10 which is ofapproximately the same length as the housing and is slideable therein soas to be moved out from the container a limited distance through anopening 11 in the front end thereof. In order to limit the outwardmovement of the drawer 10 the bottom thereof is provided with a slit orkeyway 12 receiving slideably a corresponding key 13 protruding from thebottom of the lower part 2 of the container.

The width of the drawer 10 also decreases from approximately the middleof the length thereof and towards the rear end 14 so that spaces 15 areformed between said reduced portion of the drawer and each of theadjacent side walls of the container.

At the front end the drawer at each side is provided with a resilientpawl-like locking member consisting of a leaf spring 16, having itsinner end secured to the side wall of the drawer, such as by welding orsoldering, and its outer free end arched inwardly and retained in anopening 17 in the adjacent wall of the drawer. In this manner the frontedge of the opening 17 limits the outward movement of the free end ofthe leaf spring 16.

At the outer side of each of the leaf springs 16, adjacent the free endthereof, is provided a locking ridge 18 which in the closed position ofthe drawer is forced into engagement with a co-operating lockingshoulder 19 formed on the adjacent side wall of the container. In orderto release the spring pawls 16 when the drawer is ,Patented sept. so, s

lto be opened, Teach 'sidewall of 'the 'container "at Isome distancerearwardly of the flocking shoulder 19 .fis provided with fa here 20 theaxis of which coincides with the divi- .sio'n plane of the container. Ineach of :said bores 20 :is gdisplaceably :supported a short pin 21having a .head 22 at thel inner end and 'a head V23 'at the .outer endwhich heads limit the displacement `of the pin 'and retain the same inits respective bore.

When both the pins 21 are pushed inwards the inner heads 22 thereofengage the adjacent spring pawl 16 and force the same towards the sidewall of the drawer disengaging the ridges 18 so that the drawer isreleased and may be opened.

In order to obtain automatic opening of the drawer 10 when released, theinner end thereof is provided at both sides with a hook 24 serving asanchorage for one end of a coil spring 25 the other end of which isanchored in a loop 26 secured to the adjacent side wall of the containerapproximately at the middle of the length thereof.

When the drawer is pushed into the container to closed position, thesprings 25 are tensioned and serve, when the drawer is released, toautomatically force the same outwards to open position in which the key13 abuts the inner end of keyway 12.

In using locking and releasing means at both sides of the drawer 10, thesame cannot be unintentionally released and opened if the releasingmeans at one of the sides, by coming in Contact with an object or inanother way, is operated. The drawer 10 is adapted to receive one ormore keys 27 of that at type, preferably two, of which one may be thekey for the door of the motor car and the other the ignition key.

In this manner these keys always are at hand, the door key, after havingbeen used for unlocking the door, being put back into the drawer afterthe ignition key has been removed to start the car. When leaving themotor-car, the door key is removed from the drawer, the ignition keyinserted and,after the door has been locked, the door key is placed indrawer upon the ignition key therein. In that way the keys are lying inthe correct succession for use.

On the bottom of the drawer 10 is supported an upwardly arched leafspring 28 which, when the drawer is opened, lifts the outer end of thekeys 27 upwards so that the keys may be easily gripped and removed fromthe drawer.

We claim:

A key case comprising in combination a flat elongated housing having anopen end and including apair of side edge walls, an elongated keyreceiving drawer slidable in and out of said housing through the openend thereof, spring means connected to an -intermediate portion of thehousing and to the inner end of said drawer for urging the drawer to itsoutwardly slid position, coacting means provided at opposite sides ofthe drawer for releasably locking the same in its inwardly slid positionagainst the action of said spring means, said coacting means comprisinga pair of detents provided at the inside of the side edge walls of thehousing adjacent its open end, a spring leaf secured at one end thereofto each outer side of the drawer intermediate the ends of the latter andextending longitudinally forwardly alongside the drawer, said springleaves having resiliently depressible free end portions laterallyprojectable and retractable through openings in the sides of the drawerand provided with locking ridges engageable with said detents when thespring leaves are laterally projected, and a pair of coacting releasemembers depressible through apertures in the side edge walls of saidhousing adjacent its open end and simultaneously engageable with thefree end portions of the respective spring leaves whereby to disengagesaid locking ridges from said detentsand permit" outward sliding of` thedrawer underY the action of said spring means, means provided in saidhousing and drawer for limiting the extent of outward sliding of thelatter, and means for urging a key in said -drawer to a readilyaccessiblevposition whenv the drawer is slid outward1y,`. said :last'mentioned means comprising an elongated leaf spring. disposedlongitudinally on the bottom of the'drawer inY underlying relation witha key y References-Cited in the le of this'"lia'aite'nt':` 'i

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hanna May 13, Winterhalter July 7, Slotnick Ian.16, Apfelbaum May 29, Butler` Apr. 15,

FOREIGN PATENTS i Y Germany JulyA 9, Norway V Dee. 20,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTTFTCATE @F CRRECTTON Patent Noo2,854,132 September 30, 1958 Rainer Bjerknes et ale It is herebycertified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiringcorrection and that the said Letters Patent should read as oor=` reetedbelowu In the grant', lines l and l2, and in the heading to the printedspecification, line 3, name of the oo=inventor, for "Banier Bjerlmes",each occurrence, read B- Rainer Bjerknes vSigned and sealed this 17thday of February 1959,

KARL H AXLINE ROBERT c. WATSON Attestng Officer Y Conmissioner ofPatents

